By Guy Page

Rex Hauser of St. Johnsbury Academy was recently honored as Gatorade’s Baseball Player of the Year for Vermont. Earlier ths school year he also was honored as the state’s Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year. He’s the first Vermonter to win the award in both seasons.

Hauser has been recognized for his outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, and community service. 

“He’s been pretty exceptional at the plate, and when he’s not pitching, he plays a great shortstop. On the mound, his velocity is up there. He sits 86-87 mph and has been up to 89 mph. He’s throwing a lot harder this year,” Coach Chris Kendall said. 

At the time of his selection, the 6-foot-6, 205-pound senior right-handed pitcher and shortstop had led the Hilltoppers to a 12-3 record and a berth in the upcoming Division I state tournament. Hauser compiled a 5-1 record on the mound with a 0.737 ERA, striking out 59 batters and walking just seven in 38 innings through 15 games. He also batted .538 with four home runs, 17 RBI and 17 runs scored, posting a .679 on-base percentage, 1.051 slugging percentage and 1.730 OPS. A two-sport standout, Hauser was named the 2024 Caledonian Record Player of the Year in baseball and is the reigning Vermont Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year. He’s ranked as the No. 4 player in Vermont’s Class of 2025 by Perfect Game.

Hauser has maintained a 97.44 weighted average in the classroom. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to play baseball on scholarship at the University of Maine this fall.

He also has volunteered locally as part of multiple community service initiatives in association with the National Honor Society. He has also donated his time with a fundraiser to benefit a local cancer center.

A standout on the court as well, Hauser led St. Johnsbury Academy to the Division I Final Four this winter, averaging 23.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while shooting 53.2% from the field.

New voter portal – The Vermont Secretary of State’s new Vermont Voter Portal voter portal  combines the formerly distinct voter registration page and the “My Voter Page,” which gave all registered voters information about voting (dates, polling locations, etc.) and allowed them to perform functions like updating their address and tracking a mail-in ballot.

All of these public-facing functions are now combined in the upgraded Vermont Voter Portal at vote.vermont.gov. Eligible Vermonters can register to vote, get details about upcoming elections, and manage their information all in one place.

Coester running for Vermont House of Representatives – Mark Coester, who ran against Rep. Becca Balint in 2024, will run for the same office again in 2026, he announced in a recent letter to supporters. 

“I’m running for U.S. House of Representatives right here in Vermont because it’s about time we put parents back in the driver’s seat, and make education about learning again, not politics,” the Westminster resident said. “I believe in quality, affordable education that lets parents decide what’s best for their children. Whether it’s public school, private, charter, homeschool, or something else, you should have the freedom to choose. Vermonters don’t need D.C. bureaucrats telling us how to run our families.”

Burlington cathedral being demolished – A Catholic Church in downtown Burlington is being torn down this week after years of legal wrangling, the Journal-Opinion reports, based on a Burlington Free Press news story.

The Cathedral of Immaculate Conception closed in 2018. 

“Since then, it has been the center of a legal battle as historic preservationists sought to save the structure, stating the building to be a masterpiece of modernist architecture,” reports the Free Press. 

Last year, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that the demolition can move forward.